There is a desire to provide a mounting and locking device and locking arrangement for achieving rapid mount and demount of an apparatus, such as a general machine gun, a coaxial machine gun for example, to a weapon station or remote controlled weapon platform or others.
For some time now engineers have made weapon mounting arrangements for quick mounting and demounting of different types of machine guns to corresponding platforms. However, these designs do not provide rigid securement of the apparatuses to the arrangement. Prior art arrangements exhibit e.g. too much play, which results in inferior accuracy of fire. Arrangements are also used, wherein a machine gun is tightly fixed to a sub-structure with bolts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,591 describes a front end of a machine gun being fixed to a yoke member of a locking arrangement. A clamping screw is mounted into a bore of the front end. A bolt head of the clamping screw bears against the arrangement for holding the front end rigidly to the yoke member. Lock nuts are provided for locking an adjusting screw in an adjusted position. A carriage of the arrangement is adapted to carry a back end of the machine gun. The carriage is arranged for slidably and pivotally supporting the back end and clamping screws are tightened.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,415,340 reveals a gun mount arrangement with a front locking pin and a rear locking pin. The gun has a front transverse hole and a rear transverse hole. The locking pins are passed through the holes and corresponding bores of the arrangement for securing the gun to the arrangement.
Prior art locking devices thus often fixate the receiver of the weapon in a way so that internal stress occurs in the weapon receiver resulting in bolt jam or inferior accuracy of aim or other failure.
There is an object to provide a line-of-sight apparatus locking arrangement, herein also called arrangement, which can be used for rigidly holding a specific variant (type of gun, sensor etc.) of apparatus, wherein the apparatus not primary being designed for rigidly attachment to a sub-structure, and wherein such apparatus easy can be mounted and de-mounted to the arrangement. Different types of apparatuses (machine guns etc.) exhibit different interfaces or measures.
There is an object that each time the user mounts the apparatus to the arrangement, the arrangement will hold the apparatus in a position that is similar for each time and corresponds to previous mounting so that the accuracy of aim will satisfying every time.
There is an object to provide an arrangement that can be attached (mounted) to a weapon station and being so adjusted relative the weapon station sight-line, so that front and rear supporting points of the arrangement correspond to said sight line in pre-determined positions.
There is an object to provide an arrangement comprising said pre-determined positions of the supporting points of the arrangement, so that an apparatus (mounted or attached to the arrangement and thus to the weapon station) always will exhibit apparatus sight-line corresponding with weapon station sight-line, parallel or in other way related to the weapon station sight-line.
There is an object to provide an arrangement, to which an apparatus, such as a weapon or sensor device, or other, can be rigidly mounted and secured and that at the same time still will guarantee accuracy of fire each time the apparatus is mounted to the arrangement.
There is an object to provide a secure and play-free fixation of the abutment area of the apparatus to the arrangement in an efficient way, also if different tolerances of same variant apparatuses are present. The abutment area is defined as a section of the apparatus where the locking device is in engagement with the apparatus.
There is an object to provide an arrangement adapted for demountable mountings of a machine gun in two attachment/locking points, i.e. front and rear positions of the receiver of the machine gun.
There is an object to achieve a rigid mount of the apparatus to the arrangement irrespective of different measure due to different wear of different apparatuses of the same type or variant. Often the transverse measure of one individual gun, when mounted and in abutment position will differ from transverse measure of another gun.
This is due despite the fact that the guns are of the same type or variant. Such tolerance range thus does exist to some extent, and there is a desire that such tolerance range does not influence upon the sight line or accuracy of aim of the apparatus mounted to the arrangement.
There is an object to provide an arrangement that always provides accuracy of aim, regardless of which individual apparatus that is mounted to the arrangement.
There is an object to provide an arrangement, whereby the apparatus can be mounted and de-mounted to the arrangement in a quick and easy way.
There is an object that the apparatus can be mounted and demounted without any external tools.
There is an object to provide an arrangement, which from educational point of view is easy to handle and use.
There is an object to achieve accuracy of aim under repetitive fire even though the apparatus or machine gun is secured to a platform perimeter or lateral position.
There is an object to provide an arrangement which in general provides accuracy of fire and wherein the apparatus, or weapon, is rigidly mounted and secured to the arrangement.